Coupling-release rigging.



l. H. MIL-LIK EN.

.COUPLING RELEASE RIGGING.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 28. 1915.

' Patented May 28,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

I. H. MILLIKEN.

COUPLING RELEASE RIGGING. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 28, 1915.

Patented May 23, 1916.

ZSHEETS SHEET 2.

UNITED srA'rEs AN ISAAC H. MILLIKEN, or ASPINWAILL, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE McCONWAY PITTSBURGH, PENNSYL ANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- & TORLEY COMPANY, OF SYIJVANIA- To all whom it may concerm a Be it known that I, IsAAo H'. MILLrKEN, a' citizen of the United States, residing at Aspinwall, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conpling-Release Rigging; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and "exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ippertains. to make and use the same.

'- of release rlgging mechanism for actuating the knuckle locking means of car couplers,

Y compactlyarranged. parts placed together within a very :pass,. thereby providing increasedclearance invention relates to the construction and is designed to be especially applicable to car couplers in which the coupler head is pivotally connected to the coupler stem or shank, so'as t'o' becapable of lateral swinging movements with respect to the latter.

The principal object of the invention is to provide such a coupler with an efficient release rigging of simple form consisting of which may be small com for the installation of steam and air p pes,

" safety chain anchorages, and such other depivotally conne'c vices as are usually .mounted on the. ends of 'cars in proximity to the coupler, and thus durability of the mechanism and-diminishing its liability of becoming accidentally disassembled when in service.

Generally stated, the principalv objects 1 above noted are effected in a 'device involving a coupler head and its knuckle locking means, a coupler'stern and means forting said head and stem, by combining with such devices mechanism for moving the knuckle locking means to unlocked position, such lock actuating mechanism being supported beneath the Specification of Letters Patent.

. Fig. 1.

ect of the invention is to so COUPLING-RELEASE nrccme.

- Patented. May 23, 1916.

Application filed December 28. 1915. Serial No. 69,042.

coupler 'head and involving a bracket or suitable support which is secured to the headand ismovable therewith, a member which ispivotally mounted on the bracket and is adapted to engage and actuate the knuckle locking means, and an uncoupling lever which is adapted to actuate the said pivotally mounted member, the said bracket being provided with armsbetween which the saidpivotally mounted member extends, and the uncoupling lever being arranged to engage the said pivotally mounted member between the arms ofthe bracket.

In the drawings which illustrate the preferred, embodiment of my invention, the scope whereof is pointed out in the claims;

'Figure -1 is a'front elevation of a car coupler combined with a release rigging embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a plan .v1ew of the coupler head and portions :of

the release rigging mechanism shown in Fig. 3' is a side elevation of the release rigging-showing its relation to the coupler, portions of the uncoupling levers being omitted. Fig. is a detail vertical section on the line 41- -1, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail vertical section on the line 55, Fig.

3, also showing indotted lines the position of one of the uncoupling levers when being brought into assembled relation with the pivotally mounted lock-actuating member. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the bracket which forms the means for sup-' porting "the pivotally mounted lock-actuatmg member. Fig. 7. is a detail perspective 'view of the pivotally mounted lockactuating member. Fig. 8 is an inverted plan view of the bracket; and Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view on the line 99, Fig. 1, showing a preferred form of keeper that is employed for supporting the outer ends of the uncoupling levers.

In the drawings, 1, indicates a coupler head having a knuckle...2 and a vertically movable-dock 3 for retaining the-knucklein locked position. The coupler head is pivotally mounted onthe coupler stem 4 by a vertically extending pivot pin 5, which is provided at its lower end with a polygonal head 6 and is threaded at. its upper end to is fashioned as a bracket 9 having a pair of stood. On its under side the bracket 9 is rearwardly extendingparallel arms 10. As shown more particularly in .Figs. 3 and 6 the "arms 10 of the hracket are preferably of hook-like forinfbeing open at the top and having curved seats forming supporting bearings for the laterally extendingpintles or journals 11 with which. the member 8 is provided at its rear end. The bracket 9 is preferably secured to the coupler head through the instrumentality of the pivot pin 5. To this end the bracket maybe provided toward its forward end with an openin 12 which is adapted to receive the said p vot pin, and is also provided adjacent the said opening with recesses 13 which'are ada ted to receive corresponding lugs I L-with which the coupler head 1 is provided adjacent to the pivot pin opening in said head.

By the engagement of the lugs 14 with the bracket 9, the latter is caused to turn with the coupler head, as will'be readily under recessed, as at 15, to receive the head 6 of the pivot pin 5, the vertical walls of said v adaptedto receive upwardly extending'inner' recess being preferably adapted to engage,

corresponding vertical faces of the head 6 so as to prevent rotation of the pivot pin 5 with respect to said bracket and, consequently, with respect to the coupler head 1 also. It

will be seen that the pivot pin 5 by which I the coupler head 1 and coupler stem 4 are pivotally connected thus also performs the function of a bolt for securing the bracket 9 to the coupler head.

At its rear end the lock actuating mem her 8 is. provided between its journals on pintles 11 with a pocket or recess 16 which is ends 17 ofthe uncoupling levers-or members 18 "that respectively extend in opposite directions'toward the sides of the car. The

recess 16 is preferably open at the top as well as at the sides, as well shown in Figs.-.

3, 5, and'7. The proximate ends 17 of the uncoupling levers 18 are supported upon the lower wall 19'of the recess 16 that is formed in the lock actuating member 8, the said wall 19, when the parts are in assembled position,

being sufliciently far below the lower faces of the hooked arms 10 of the bracket 9 to permit the ends of the uncoupling levers to be introduced into the said recess 16, but

being sufliciently near thesaid lower faces of the bracket arms 10 to causethe uncou-. pling levers 18 to come into engagement with said arms and thus prevent any such upward movement of the rear end of the lock actuating member 8 as would lead to the accidental shape of the journals or pintles 11 from their hearings in the hooked members 10. The uncoupling levers. 18 thus serve as a means for locking the member 8 in assembled position with respect to its supported bracket 9, and special auxiliary means for such purpose may therefore be.

omitted. As shown more particularly in Figs. 3 and 5, the recess 16 is. formed with downwardly diverging transverse walls, the recess being thus somewhat wider at the bottom than at the top. By thismeans sufiicient-clearance is afforded to permit one of the uncoupling levers 18 to be rotated to actuate the member8 and unlock the couplerwithout causing a rotation of the other uncoupling lever, and also to permit the uncoupling lever to return to normal position independently of a corresponding movement of the lock actuating member 8.

As indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5, the

uncoupling levers are entered in the recess 16 of-the member 8 by elevating their outer ends, inserting the inner ends thereof into the recess, and then lowering their outer ends and inserting them in the supporting keepers 20 which are mounted on the car near the sides thereof. Each of the keepers 20 is preferably open on one side, said opening being adapted to be closed by a removable closure which is preferably in the form of a cotter 21.

When either of the uncoupling levers 18 is rotated in the proper direction the bent inner end 17 thereof causes a corresponding rotation of the lock actuated member 8, whose outer end, coming into contact with a portion of the lock 3. as for example a shoulder 22, thereon, causes said lock to move upwardly to unlocked'nosition. I claim:- I

1. In a device of the character indicated, the combination with a coupler and its knuckle locking means, of mechanism for moving said knuckle locking. means to unlocked position, said mechanism, involving a bracket, a'member pivotally mounted on said bracket and adapted to actuate said,

knuckle locking means, and an uncoupling lever for actuating said pivotally mounted member, said uncoupling lever being supported by said pivotally mounted member and constituting means for maintaining said. pivotally mounted member in a$em-.

bled position with respect to said bracket. 2.. In a device of the character indicated, the combination with a coupler and its moving said knuckle locking device to .un-

knuckle locking device, of mechanism for locked position, said mechanism involving pivotally mounted meansadapted to actuate said knuckle locking device, means forming a support for said pivotally mounted means, and an uncoupling lever for actuating said pivotally mounted means,

said uncoupling lever being supportedbv said pivotally mounted means and servingv to maintain said pivotally mounted, means in assembled relation with respect to its said supporting means. i i

3. In a.device of the character indicated, the combination with a coupler and knuckle locking means, of mechanism for moving said knuckle locking means to unlocked position, said. mechanism involving a bracket, a member pivotally mounted on mounted member, said uncoupling ,levers said bracket and adapted to actuate said knuckle locking means, and a pluralityof uncoupling levers either of which is adapted to independently actuate said pivotally constituting means for maintaining said pivotally mounted member in assembled relation with respect to said bracket, and said pivotally mounted member being pivotally connected to said bracket by means independent of said uncoupling'levers.

4. In a device of the character Indicated,

the combination with a coupler head and its knuckle locking means, a coupler stem and means for plvotally connecting said head and-stem, of mechanism for moving said knuckle locking means to unlocked position, said mechanism being supported beneath said head and involving a bracket which is secured to said head and is movable therewith, a member which. is pivotally mounted on said bracket and. is adapted to actuate said knuckle locking means, and an uncoupling lever which is adapted to actuate said pivotally, mounted member, said bracket. being provided with arms between which said pivotally mounted member extends, and

said uncoupling lever engaging said pivotally mounted member between said arms of the bracket, said uncoupling lever beingv a bracket, a member which is pivotally mounted on said bracket and is adapted to actuate said knuckle locking means, and a plurality of uncoupling levers either of which is adapted to actuate said pivotally mounted member, said pivotally. mounted member beingprovided' with a recess which ends of said levers. v v. 6. In a device of the character indicated,

its 1 receivesthe adjacent ends of said uncoupling levers .and serving to support the adjacent the combination with a coupler and its knuckle :locking device, of mechanism for moving said knuckle locking device to un-- locked position, said mechanism involving pivotally mounted means adaptedto actuate said knuckle locking device, means forming a pivotal support fortsaid pivotally mounted means, an uncoupling lever for actuating said pivotally mounted means, and akeeper which said uncoupling lever. is revolubly mounted and by which itis supported, said uncoupling lever being also supported by said pivotallymounted means and serving to prevent the latter from becoming 'acci--- dentally. disassembled, and said keeper hav-.

ing an opening and a removable closure therefor whereby said lever may be assem- "bled with and dissassembled from. said keeper by the remova1-andrep1acement o'f.

said closure. v

7. In a device of the character indicated, the" combination with a coupler and its knuckle locking means, said coupler having a head and a stem which are pivotally connected, of mechanism for 'moving said knuckle locking means to unlocked position, saidmechanism involving pivotallymounted means adapted to' actuate said knuckle looking means, a support for said pivotally wardly of the point I of pivotal connection ofsaid head and stem and being movable with said head, and an uncoupling lever for actuating said pivotally mounted means,

said uncoupling lever being supported by and interlocking with said pivotally mounted means beneath said support, whereby said uncoupling'lever is maintained in assembled relation with said pivotally mounted means.

8. In a device of the character indicated, the combination with a coupler-head, knuckle and its .knuckle locking means, of

- mounted means, said support extendmg rearmechanism for moving said knuckle locking means to unlocked'position, said mechanism involving ,a bracket which is movable with .the coupler head, a member pivotally mounted .on said bracket and adapted to actuate said knuckle locking means, and an uncoupling lever which is adapted to actuate said pivotally mounted member, said uncoupling lever constituting means for maintaining said pivotally mounted mem her in assembled relation with respect to I said bracket and being adapted to return to normal position independently of and after having actuated said pivotally mounted member. 1 v

9. In a device of the character indicated,

the combination with a coupler and its knuckle locking means, of mechanism for moving'said knuckle locking means to unv device for-actuating said pivotally mounted means, said uncoupling device being sup ported by and interlocking with said pivotallymounted means and being adapted to return to normal position independently of and after having actuated said pivotally 10 mounted means and constituting meansfor maintaining said pivotally mounted means in assembled relation with said support. In testimony whereof I affix-my signature.

ISAAC. H. MILLIKEN. 

